CGK

This is the idea from the post by Coathanger in the thread regarding "Exclusive Personalised Ground Service" for First Class and Solitaire customers in this thread started by jjpb3
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showt...ferrerid=12957

Okay, now some of you guys have met me while I am on the road. And I am almost trying to avoid this special dedicated lounge intentionally, because the agents there were rather "cold" to me. And I passed them pushing my cart from the lift with my priority/solitaire tags on the luggages were still intact, but no one would approach me, even with the F red ticket jacket. Well, the agents at the regular F and C check-in row 10 I believe are friendlier and more pleasant, as well as more communicative. So, the question is, what do you think are the criteria of a passenger that fits a "First Class" image.

mrburns

A passenger with a full load of Louis vuitton luggage and prada clothes? haha

wow! They still treat you coldy even with the F ticket? Not what you expect when you pay that much definetely! Well i have never experienced it, so hopefully they have learned a bit more manners? Is the lounge always staffed by the same personell?

Coathanger

Given my observations in the SKL First Lounge and Dedicated Check-In, the following characteristics help:

1. Well dressed in business suit/branded clothing (Brooks Brothers, Polo Ralph Lauren)
2. Appropriate luggage (Samsonite/Tumi style rollaboards or Louis Vuitton bag)
3. Excellent command of English
4. Quiet, assured air of confidence

As has been previously discussed on this board other factors include gender, race and age but I won't open that can of worms.

ws8n

My experiences at SQ FC check-in have been excellent. I still recall how I absent mindedly check-in my laptop bag (reminder - never talk on your HP, and check-in at the same time)
The check-in staff got on the phone, and pulled my luggage off the flight, then escorted me to arrivals to assist with the pickup of my bags. I was simply in awe with the service provided, something I feel no other airline would have done. I was in my usual business attire then.

Also tend to notice that many in FC have LV or Tumi bags. Mine's a Samonsite.

Is this something that happens regularly, or a one off event?

daniellam

Why take a taxi in the first place? I would have known better and arranged for a Mercedes-Benz or equivalent to drop me off at the airport. These can be arranged by the hotel concierge.

Also, it seems that First Class passengers tend to usually travel either alone or with a partner (and not a whole family).

CGK

Perhaps you were lucky, or may be that's the way it is in giving the service.
Another possibility is that you have a charisma of a very important business person, while I may be looked at more as a leisure traveller.

Another observations that I realized, when I checked-in at this FC lounge area, it seemed to take longer tahn the regular check-in counter. Well, I would be sitting on one of the sofa, and waited for my BPs and passport to be returned... I watched them working on the computer, it seemed not as quick and easy in printing the BPs... Or, do you think they were doing some checking in my reservations?
Hmm am I sounding like a PITB now?

CGK

Ouch...

Not all FC pax are as lucky as you that easily arranging for Mercedes-Benz. I for one still take taxi to from the airport in Singapore. And yes, in Vancouver, I will take taxi or even the Airporter bus... hey I even take the seabus to get to the Waterfront or Pan Pacific to catch the Airporter bus.

And remember, this dedicated First Class check-in lounge at Changi, is also available for the Solitaire member. And also remember, a single, couple, or a whole family can be possibly travelling in F. So if the tendency of the FC pax are single or couple, still the agent should not make any assumption to a family pax.

shortfinals

Typical first class image?


Well, I'm typing this reply from the SKL F lounge and a quick walkaround the place has revealed the following:

1. There's a bloke out there here fiddling with his toupee, and is wearing jeans. He has no luggage whatsoever and found satay disgusting.

2. There's another bloke who's asleep (in the smoking lounge :O) and his feet are on the table.

3. There's a rather foul mouthed woman scolding someone near the computer terminals. But she does look rather well dressed.

4.There's the usual odd assortment of suits and ties, as usual.

5. Then there's me, in baseball cap, tshirt and jeans.
Two other teenage boys dressed like that too.

I'd like to submit that there's no such thing as a typical F pax and SQ knows it. Never had any different treatment regardless of what i wore (and i've worn some outlandish outfits on planes ) or what I looked like.

jjpb3

IMO, there should be no need for anything beyond the First Class ticket or Solitaire card.

(I like shortfinals' quick profiling of the pax in the SKL F. )

fimo

I totally agree. I don't see why one should be chided for taking a taxi. An F-class passenger can arrive on the MRT for all I care, and should still be accorded the appropriate treatment. Utter rubbish to suggest that one should 'know better' and take a Mercedes-Benz. Mind you, that's still PUBLIC TRANSPORT - merely a glorified taxi. Might as well suggest that we should all be pulling up in a Rolls-Royce.

And yeah, my eyes are rolling all over the place.

Coathanger

Please accept my sincere apologies. Just for you daniellam, I am adding:

5. Driven to the airport in a Mercedes-Benz

I also happen to like trains, so I guess turning up at the First Class Check-In Lounge from the MRT station would be unfavourable?

For your edification, I have relatives in Singapore whom I did not feel like troubling to drop me off in their BMW.

BTW You don't work for Premium Services do you, daniellam?

Coathanger

Join the Samsonite club! I can't justify spending the extra on Tumi and LV is just not my style. My Samsonite rollaboard has been with me since 1998 and travelled far and wide, still going strong!

StarG

Taxi is quite common in Singapore and I take them all the time.
For me, I would feel a bit sad to have to arrange a Mercedes-Benz to drop me off at the airport to ensure that they treat me better. Yes, I have never arrived in a rickshaw at the F/Solitaire check-in reception, but so far I have never had a single unpleasant experience by the reception staffs arriving by taxis.
And actually I do travel with my family. They are in the same booking class as I am almost all the time, whether it is F, J or Y.

peter11

Okay, well, maybe it is just me......but the condescending voice I hear in this post is exactly the attitude that seems to have been displayed by some of the ground staff at SIN. Perhaps I am reading your voice incorrectly and if that is the case I apologize....okay rant over!

New rant: As for the OP, I guess I live in the dark ages. I still like to believe that class is not that important. I think here in California, that is perhaps slightly easier to believe than in most other countries (or even other states). I hate to think of discrimination on any level. But ignoring it obviously is not helping matters.

My experience with SQ......never mind.....my experience is not CGK's. Let me say this. I tend to believe, that for the most part, the SQ employees genuinely want to serve the customers, and take some pride in giving good service. Can we all agree on that for a moment? Unfortunately, I think there is a design problem with the curbside checkin that has led to the poor service that CGK has experienced. My recollection is that while the area is marked as first class it could be alot more obvious. The ambiguity probably leads to a lot of Y pax entering through the F door. Then the ground staff is left to wonder if the pax is F or not. The design of the curbside for that first door should be so specialized (lots of red carpet, perhaps a red awning, smoked glass doors that say first class, maybe some signs in the roadway etc) so that the employees dont have to develop a profile (or stereotype) of what a F pax should look like. With the proper design the employees can be fairly certain that anyone who pulls up is in fact an F Pax. Then they can just concentrate on giving EVERYONE great service, no matter what kind of car they arrive in and no matter what they look like.

I really feel that it is a failure of management not to address this issue. We all know that stereotypes do not work all of the time.

Now, CGK, since SQ probably does not read these boards, we need to work on your wardrobe. Next time you are in SIN get down to the store and pick up some movie star sunglasses, a nice suit, and borrow a couple of Star G's body guards. As you step out of the taxi, put on an attitude like you just stepped out of a rented mercedes that cost 5 times the price! Act real cool as you walk in, with a swagger like P Diddy......That ought to do the trick next time at check in!

Coathanger

Agreed. I have had wonderful experiences with both groundstaff and cabin crew aboard SQ, and one pilot even let me sit in the cockpit for landing in SIN. More recently, I desperately needed to get on a flight and the groundstaff in PEN called, and then telexed their counterparts in Singapore to check inventory and get my priority waitlisting. I got a middle seat, but when it's urgent really a small price to pay.

Now, about that makeover...